How to tell if your 'ORS' is fake

Bengaluru: Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), once available only in medical stores, has now become a common sight on supermarket and grocery shelves. While this wider availability is convenient and beneficial, it has also led to growing confusion among consumers.

Many commercially marketed beverages are now being misleadingly labelled as ‘ORS,’ though they lack the precise composition of the original, medically approved formula.

“The numerous drinks which you see these days with the ORS labels are fake and do not serve the purpose. It is usually consumed to restore the body’s fluid balance, when some one is extremely dehydrated”, said Dr Syed Javed, a general physician from Bengaluru, speaking about how the drinks sold in the name of ORS have no nutritional benefit and are rather just a sham.

Scientifically, ORS is a precise combination of glucose (13.5g) and electrolytes such as sodium chloride (2.6g) and potassium chloride (1.5g). It plays a vital role in treating dehydration caused by conditions like diarrhea and vomiting.

Other fake drinks contain over 120g of sugar and very little salt, which can upset the body’s balance and make dehydration worse due to high osmolarity. Medical experts state that unlike plain water or sugary beverages, ORS contains ingredients in carefully measured proportions that enable the body to rapidly absorb fluids and electrolytes.

Recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF as one of the greatest medical breakthroughs, ORS has saved millions of lives worldwide and remains an essential, low-cost remedy in global healthcare.

On October 14, FSSAI banned the use of the term ‘ORS’ on food and beverage products, in cluding brand names, citing consumer deception under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

This landmark decision comes after eight years of relentless advocacy by Dr. Sivaranjini Santhosh, who raised awareness about the life-threatening dehydration in children caused by the consumption of fake ORS drinks